Japanese digicam manufacturers see big gainsBy
Mike Tomkins(Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 11:46 EST)An article published by Taiwan's "Taipei Times" notes that worldwide sales of digital cameras from Japanese manufacturers rose by some 53% last month, whilst film camera production fell by 38% in the same period.The European region is apparently showing the most growth, with 12 consecutive months as the highest-gaining market. Interestingly, Sanyo (which mostly manufactures digicams for other companies rather than selling them under its own brand) is projecting to almost double the number of cameras it made in the year ending March 2003 (6.5 million units) to some 12 million units in the year ending March 2004.

Shipments to Europe by Japanese digicam manufacturers rose 66% last month, closely followed by a 57% rise in North America; the Japanese market lagged behind somewhat with a 25% gain. Worldwide shipments from January to November 2003 rose 77% over the previous year, with total sales of 38.9 million units.

The Taipei Times article is based on a report from Japan's Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA), which is said to cover 80 - 90% of worldwide digital camera sales and shipments. We've summarised only a few key points - the full article can be read on the Taipei Times website.